Great Expectations
by parttimeficwriter
Summary: Harry and Ruth get ready for a new arrival. Total fluff.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, so I quite obviously borrowed the title from somewhere else, I don't own that or Spooks. I have also never had children so I apologise in advance if any of the time line is screwed up.**

**_This fic is dedicated to POGS&NOGS PLC for making me laugh every single day. I love you guys!_**

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By ten o'clock Harry was ready to throttle somebody; more specifically he was ready to throttle Juliet Shaw. She had called an urgent meeting for this morning and had ordered that Harry and Adam be present insisting that national security depended on it. It wasn't often that Harry resented his job but today he really did. Of all the times the woman had to pick for a meeting she chose the one time that he desperately wanted to be somewhere else. He had been keeping a surreptitious eye on the grid waiting for Ruth to arrive.

_Why isn't she here yet?_ He asked himself for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past hour - time seemed to be passing unnaturally slowly and Juliet showed no signs of shutting up anytime soon. Annoyed for being distracted when he should be working, Harry tried to focus on what was being said. He spotted Adam watching him and rolled his eyes briefly.

Adam looked across the table at his boss and realised that Harry was not paying the slightest bit of attention to what Juliet was saying. Outwardly, he looked interested enough but Adam had caught the frequent glances at his watch and the furtive looks across the grid to where Ruth's desk was. Not for the first time that morning, Adam wondered what the hell was going on. It was unlike Harry to be distracted, especially in front of Juliet. It didn't take an intelligence officer to figure out that he was watching for Ruth to arrive but there was an air of excitement about Harry that Adam had never seen before. Before he could ponder these thoughts any further Juliet's shrill voice brought him back to the present

"Is there somewhere you would rather be Harry?"

Fixing her with a hard stare, Harry was about to answer with a scathing retort when he noticed a familiar figure walking across the grid. His face softened as he got to his feet "Many, many places. Excuse me."

Without another word, he left the briefing room and made his way through the office.

"What the hell was that about? Where is he going?" demanded Juliet

"I think we're about to find out" Adam moved to the doorway of the briefing room and watched with interest as Harry walked across the room. He had a feeling they were about to see their normally reserved boss in a new light.

Harry didn't notice anyone around him; he was focused solely on her. He watched as she set her bag down at the side of her chair. She reached out to switch her computer on and jumped slightly when she heard his voice.

"Well?"

"Well what?" she asked him with an amused expression on her face. She was trying not to smile as he stood in front of her, glaring slightly, almost encroaching on her personal space. It made her stomach flutter.

She was enjoying the moment and was not disappointed when he growled her name; he really was adorable, she decided.

"I think I've waited long enough. I need to bloody know."

"Is that any way to talk to your pregnant wife Harry?"

Ruth enjoyed the way that Harry's eyes snapped to hers. He answered her wide smile with one of his own as he reached for her hand "I didn't know she was pregnant at the time."

As she laughed at his remark, he pulled her close to him and kissed her sweetly. The sound of cheering and clapping brought them both back to reality and not for the first time that day Harry wished they could have had this moment alone.

With great reluctance, Ruth moved out of Harry's embrace and tried to contain the blush that threatened to overwhelm her: she really didn't enjoy being the centre of attention. She was grateful that Harry held on to her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as he addressed the rest of the Grid in his usual gruff manner:

"Right, show's over. I'm quite sure you've all got plenty of work to do. If we manage to make it through the day in one piece then I'll buy you all a drink at the George."

She was relieved when, gradually, people began to get back on with their work. She smiled at Harry and let go of his hand.

"You should probably get back to your meeting Harry."

"Sod the meeting, it can wait."

"No it can't, I think Juliet is about to have a fit at being kept waiting. Go and do some work, I'll still be pregnant when you're finished you know."

"I know I just don't want to miss any of it." He said, his gentle admission making her smile "Lunch?"

"Oh yes, now that I'm eating for two I expect to be rather hungry."

He laughed quietly to himself as he walked back to the briefing room and enjoyed the feeling of happiness bubbling inside him: he was going to be a father again and this time he was going to get it right.


	2. Chapter 2

In the weeks that followed the happy news, life settled back to normal…well as normal as can life can get when you work for MI5. Whilst it was true that briefings had never previously been interrupted by morning sickness, the team took the interruption in their stride. Learning to adapt and overcome as Ruth hurtled herself out of the room as fast as her legs could carry her. Fortunately, Ruth was now over her morning sickness, something which she, more than most, was eternally grateful for.

Adam and the rest of the core team had been amused to watch the interplay between Harry and Ruth shift subtly: as a couple they were fiercely private and to this day no one knew all the details of their courtship. Their professional relationship hadn't changed, the only outward sign of their personal relationship being the matching wedding bands they wore. Since Ruth had become pregnant, however, that had changed slightly. There were small glimpses of the relationship for those astute enough to notice.

The fact that Ruth was pregnant could be visibly seen and, when observed at the right moment, Harry could be clearly seen watching her with a soft expression on his face. The most noticeable change in their behaviour had been the fierce way that Harry now protected Ruth and their unborn child. Adam had witnessed this side of his boss only once before, when his daughter Catherine had been tangled up in one of their operations. Adam dread to think what Harry was capable of should anyone try and harm either of them. He wasn't a man to be trifled with at the best of times but God help anyone who got too close to them.

Of course, the other side to this protective nature was that Harry had taken to lecturing Ruth on what activities she should and should not be doing – 'for the baby's sake'. It had become a source of great interest and speculation between members of the grid on just how long Ruth would willingly put up with it. From his own memories of Fiona's pregnancy, Adam knew it wouldn't be long until Harry was told in no uncertain terms to butt out. It turned out that Adam was right.

As usual the team had assembled for the morning briefing. Ruth had been absent but, since she was often running late, no one really paid it much attention. Ten minutes later she had bounded into the room laden with files and slightly out of breath.

"Sorry I'm late" she puffed slightly.

"What the hell are you doing?" Harry had demanded instantly and every set of ears in the room pricked up.

"Erm, working?"

"Funny. You're pregnant Ruth, you shouldn't be carrying masses of

files about all over the place and exerting yourself like that."

It was probably a good thing for Harry that the table was between him and Ruth since she could smack him at this very moment in time. A verbal punch would have to do she mused "Yes, thank you for the reminder Harry. What would I do without you to remind me every 30 minutes that I'm pregnant?" The rest of the room was silent as they were all glued to the drama unfolding in front of them. Not giving him time to retort, Ruth landed the killer blow "I'm carrying three files, hardly something I need help with. Exerting myself hardly seemed to concern you last night Harry, so do stop trying to mother me."

Her comments had had the desired effect; even the tips of his ears were turning a lovely shade of pink. Handing her latest research out to the others. she took a seat and waited for the briefing to start. Adam seized the moment and changed the subject to more familiar ground.

Ruth wasn't surprised when Harry told her to stay behind. On reflection she had probably been a little harsh with him but she didn't think she would be able to cope with another five months of this. Ruth was about to apologise for her earlier outburst when he beat her to it.

"I'm sorry, I may have overreacted slightly" his admission coupled with the adorable look on his face made her smile warmly at him.

"I'm sorry too… it's possible that I gave out far more personal information than I should have done." Ruth blushed lightly as she replayed her words in her head.

Harry chuckled and pulled her towards him for a kiss.

"Harry" she whined, "we have a strict no kissing at work policy."

"Yes but being the boss means I'm allowed to break the rules now and again."


	3. Chapter 3

It took a few seconds for Harry to realise that the bed was missing someone. Spotting the sliver of light under the door, he got out of bed and blearily made his way through the house. Knowing his wife as well as he did, Harry entered the kitchen and was not surprised to find Ruth sitting on the kitchen floor with a tub of ice cream in one hand and a spoon in the other. Since becoming pregnant a few months previously, Ruth had embraced being able to eat large amounts of ice cream without feeling any guilt at doing so. Harry watched her as she spooned more of the confectionary into her mouth, completely oblivious to his presence.

"At this rate it'll be cheaper for me to buy shares in Ben and Jerry's than it will be to keep the freezer stocked with the stuff."

The spoon paused halfway to her mouth and she stuck her tongue out at him briefly before concentrating once more on the dessert in her hand. She heard him chuckle and watched as he crossed to where she was sat.

"Come back to bed," he sensed she was about to protest "Bring the damn ice cream with you if you must but I am too old and too tired to sit on the kitchen floor and have a midnight feast."

Relenting, she offered her hand to Harry and he helped her off the floor.

"Someone's grumpy" amusement plainly evident in her voice as they made their way back to the bedroom.

Knowing that she was trying to bait him, Harry decided to shift the conversation.

"Why are you up anyway?"

Ruth leant back against the headboard as Harry climbed in at the other side.

"The baby was kicking. Actually, I think it was dancing from the feel of it. I tried to go back to sleep but you were snoring. In the end I gave up and went in search of food."

He leant over to her, his breath tickling her ear as he whispered into it

"I don't snore."

At her snort, he moved again and captured her lips beneath his own, kissing her with a loving tenderness which left her breathless. As he pulled away, he let his hand slide down her body to rest on her protruding belly and addressed the bump.

"As for you little one, let your Mum get some rest."

His words were gentle and full of affection. Ruth felt her heart melt as he lowered his head to her belly and kissed the baby goodnight. Sitting back up, Harry plucked the now empty carton form her hand and placed it on the nightstand. Turning the light off, he then pulled Ruth close to him, holding his wife and unborn child in the protective circle of his arms, utter contentment washing over him as he heard Ruth's whispered words of love.


	4. Chapter 4

The pod doors opened and Ruth stepped onto the grid. Looking up from his conversation with Zaf, Adam greeted her.

"Morning. How's the mum-to-be?"

"I'm fat, have greasy hair and need the toilet every twenty minutes" she answered caustically as she marched off in the direction of the bathroom.

A silence followed her retreat and every pair of eyes in the room looked at Harry.

"It's been a bad morning" he stated quietly before hastily retreating to the sanctuary of his office.

Sitting at his desk, Harry replayed the mornings events in his mind. _Bad morning_ was a slight understatement: he felt like he'd woken up in a parallel universe where his loving, caring wife had been replaced by someone who was more likely to kill him than kiss him.

The day had started out innocently enough. Harry had awoken earlier than usual and, trying to do something nice for the woman he loved, he went to make breakfast. Twenty minutes later he had ventured back upstairs carrying a tray laden with toast, scrambled eggs, de-caffeinated coffee and juice for the both of them. His thoughtfulness had been well received until two mouthfuls into her eggs Ruth had turned slightly green and bolted from the bed.

Not wanting her to be sick again, Harry had removed the offending tray from the room, trying to eat as much of it as he could before he went back to check on her. Ruth had just emerged from the bathroom as he walked into the bedroom.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah" she sighed tiredly, gratefully accepting the glass of water he handed to her.

"According to the…"

"Harry, I swear to God if you quote something from the pregnancy book at me again I'm likely to hit you over the head with it. Repeatedly" she snapped.

Harry wisely decided not to finish his original sentence; it would do him no good to annoy her even more. He couldn't help the fact that he had researched the pregnancy thoroughly. When his first wife was pregnant, he had only been in the country intermittently and had missed most of it. He was now older and wiser and didn't want to miss any of it. _Even if it means getting shouted at and being threatened with bodily harm at half past six in the morning._

"I'll uh, I'll just go shower" he muttered and escaped to the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry walked out of the adjoining bathroom to find Ruth sat in the middle of the bedroom floor sobbing. What appeared to be the entire contents of her wardrobe were strewn about the room. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was wrong. Taking a deep breath, Harry gingerly made his way over to her and sat down beside her. Putting his arm around her shoulders he pulled her to him, he waited until she relaxed against him before speaking softly.

"Don't cry sweetheart."

"I feel fat. I'm starting to look fat. Before you know it I'll be the size of a house" she managed between shuddering breaths.

"You're not fat, you're pregnant. I for one think you look amazing." That earned him a smile "Really?"

"Really." He nodded for emphasis "Gaining a few pounds does not change the way I feel about you."

The minute he had said it he knew he was in trouble. Her eyes flashed at him "So you do think I'm fat!" she accused as she got up and stormed off to the connecting bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind her as she swore at him loudly.

Harry had called upon every technique and skill he had gained from his years as a spook but try as he might he still couldn't get Ruth to come out of the bloody bathroom. They were already more than an hour late for work and, though he had been tempted to leave her to it more than once in the past hour and escape to the grid, he couldn't bring himself to abandon her when she was so upset. Sighing, Harry realised that he only had one option left. The last ditch effort of desperate husbands everywhere – bribery. Harry had had to offer an all expenses paid shopping trip, inclusive of lunch, and swear to her that he wouldn't grumble about any of it before she had relented and unlocked the door.

It had still taken another half hour for her to get dressed and style her hair; wisely he had refrained from comment and had taken it upon himself to keep out of her way. He really didn't want to risk upsetting her any further. Looking at his watch, he swore loudly. He was due at the JIC in forty minutes, and at this rate he would never make it. He was just about to shout upstairs when Ruth emerged in the doorway and announced she was ready to go. Breathing a sigh of relief, Harry set about putting the alarm on and locking the front door. They had managed to get as far as the other end of the street before Ruth announced that she had forgotten her handbag, at which point Harry had finally lost his temper and an almighty row had started. Harry spun the car around whilst he ranted about being late.

"Do shut up Harry" her words shocking him so much that he did in fact shut up.

The rest of the journey had been conducted in silence, both quietly fuming and plotting the others downfall.

Back in the here and now, he watched her as she made her way back to her desk: she looked thoroughly miserable and guilt immediately flooded him. Harry picked up his phone and asked Jo to do him a favour. Feeling better about things, Harry set off for his meeting with the JIC.

A few hours later, Ruth returned from the registry to find a gift box on her desk. She allowed herself a small smile at the thought of who the gift was from. Sitting down, she lifted the lid off the box and giggled at its contents. Inside was a jar of pickled onions and a cheese and marmite sandwich - her latest cravings, much to Harry's distaste. Ruth felt a pang of disappointment when she looked over to his office and found it was empty. She wanted to make it up to him. Her breath caught in her throat when she heard his voice, he was walking onto the grid. _Must have been in the forgery suite, _she thought briefly as she walked over to him. Harry was mid-conversation with Adam but stopped abruptly upon seeing Ruth stood in front of him. Grabbing his tie, she pulled him to her and planted a very steamy kiss on his lips. The kiss ended as suddenly as it started and Ruth walked back to her desk without a word, Harry watched her leave and it took a great deal of effort on his part not to follow her across the room. Hearing someone clear their throat, Harry turned to see Adam smirking at him

"Would you like me to tell Juliet that you took the afternoon off?"

Harry looked briefly at Ruth and straightened his tie before answering. "Yes."


	5. Chapter 5

"Should I be checking that box for office equipment?" his voice in her ear was soft but it still startled her slightly and she shot him a filthy look for making her jump as she turned to face him.

"I've no idea what you're talking about Harry" her voice deceptively innocent.

Unfortunately for Ruth, she happened to be married to a man that had interrogated dozens of terrorists and he wasn't easily fooled.

"The files in the box Ruth…" Realising that she had been caught out, she reached into the box on her desk and handed some files over to him.

"The point of maternity leave is…"

"To go mad with boredom?"

He shot her an exasperated look, this was not the first time they had entered into this conversation. "No, the point is to rest. To enjoy the calm before the storm, as it were."

"I agreed to the maternity leave, I'm on board with it. I'm packing my desk up as we speak, what more do you want from me Harry?"

"I want the memory stick that you've hidden in there too."

Harry tried his best not to smirk at the outraged expression on her face, knowing from experience that it would only land him in hot water. She really did amuse him at times. There was only Ruth that would try and smuggle work out of the building to take home with her.

Her shoulders sagged slightly in defeat as she handed over the contraband equipment.

"Fine." She huffed at him, drawing her lips into a slight pout as she did so. He chuckled at the sight of her and wrapped an arm around her waist as he kissed the side of her head.

"Are you ready to go?" Ruth nodded and handed him the box as she struggled to fasten her coat over the very large bump at the front.

Ruth and Harry left the grid together and headed to the George to meet the rest of the team. Farewell drinks were in order and Ruth and Harry sat amongst their colleagues chatting happily. Harry caught Ruth's eye as she stood and made her way through the group, his facial expression asking her silently if everything was alright.

"You're child seems to think my bladder is an appropriate resting place" she offered by way of explanation. Harry laughed and she rolled her eyes at him good naturedly.

Surveying the room, Harry noted that half of Thames House seemed to have turned out to bid farewell to Ruth. She was more popular than she thought and he was pleased about that. It seemed that everywhere he went nowadays someone was asking after her and the baby. Harry obligingly updated them on progress and proudly showed the scan photo that he kept in his wallet.

His own staff were even more excited by the impending pregnancy and their interest had initially surprised Harry. Lately though, he had begun to suspect that Zaf was running a book on names for the baby. He didn't have any proof but in recent weeks a number of people had asked casually if they had thought of any names. In truth it was something that had only been discussed once, the conversation being a total disaster when Ruth accused him of being too traditional and he took offence at that. Quite a loud argument had ensued and he had been grateful when his phone rang and he was summoned into work. He had returned two hours later with some ice cream and they had made up enthusiastically. The subject had not been brought up by either of them since. Upon reflection, Harry noted that the matter needed to be broached sooner rather than later and resolved to talk to Ruth about it when they got home.

After the final few farewells had been said, they headed home. Although she was loathe to admit it, Ruth was tired and was glad to be back. She went upstairs and changed in to some comfy clothes whilst Harry brought in her work things from the car and busied himself in the kitchen making hot chocolate for them both. He walked out of the kitchen to find her sprawled on the couch, flicking through the TV channels. She snorted in disgust when she didn't find anything she was interested in watching and switched it off. She thanked him for the drink and shifted her feet so he could fit on the sofa with her. He settled her feet on his lap and started to massage them gently. They were silent, Ruth enjoying Harry's efforts and Harry waiting for the right moment to spring his attack. When he felt she had relaxed sufficiently he broke the comfortable silence.

"I was thinking that we should probably try and discuss a name for our child."

"I knew you had an ulterior motive!"

Glancing at her face Harry reassured himself that she was joking and bravely continued.

"Well after our last attempt I wasn't taking any chances. Have you had any thoughts on the matter?"

"Yes, I have actually…" he nodded for her to continue and braced himself. As much as he loved his wife, he wasn't keen on calling his child any of the names she had suggested so far. Parker and Harrison were just not names that he felt he could ever get on board with.

"Don't look so scared Harry."

"I'm not" he answered indignantly.

"Liar"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Just get on with it woman."

"Charlie"

"Charlie Pearce." He tested the name out, enjoying how it sounded "I like it. I was thinking of William."

"I like that too, we could use both" Her smile was infectious and Harry reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm aware that we're probably pushing it a bit but what if it's a girl?"

"I promise not to start a fight Harry."

"That is a relief because I can't afford to buy any more ice cream to make it up to you." He yelped slightly as she dug her toes playfully into his side. "I was thinking of Abigail or Emily for a girl" he admitted quietly when his laughter had died down slightly.

"I like them both, I like Sophie too."

"I suppose we'd better just wait and see what happens; at least we've narrowed it down a bit."


	6. Chapter 6

Ruth hadn't really expected to enjoy her maternity leave but, as her due date approached, she found that she was grateful to be away from the hustle and bustle of the Grid. Harry was still working of course, but he kept in touch with her throughout the day and had taken to finishing early whenever he could and working from home as much as possible.

Ruth sighed as the phone started to ring. Harry was right on time - his hourly check up's had been sweet at first but as the days wore on it started to grate on her nerves. She was a patient woman most of the time but Harry seemed to have developed a habit of phoning just as she was in the middle of something else; it took all her time to get off the couch never mind trying to waddle through the house looking for the blasted phone, which inevitably meant that by the time she reached the phone she was red faced and puffing from exertion, in turn causing Harry to flap thinking the baby was on its way and she ended up shouting at him. Not the ideal way to keep her blood pressure down, which is why she had come up with an ingenious solution that was about to be tested. On the 6th ring the answer machine kicked in and she listened to her hastily recorded message, picturing Harry's face as he listened in confusion to the recording. She heard his voice after the beeping tone.

"I take it this is your incredibly subtle way of telling me I'm annoying you…and knowing that you are horrendously stubborn you're not going to pick the phone up either." Harry paused just in case his stubborn comment had needled her into picking up the receiver. It hadn't.

"Ring me if you need me. Love you. Both of you actually."

Harry put the receiver down and made his way to the briefing room for the latest update. Apparently, Special Branch were incapable of doing any of their own work and had started to flood the grid with intel requests once more.

"Jo, get in touch with Special Branch and tell them to do their own work, Zaf I want you and Adam to follow up on security for G8. I'll be in my office."

The day had been long and busy; Harry had had to threaten the head of Special Branch with actual bodily harm if they sent over one more request. His meeting with the JIC overran by 45 minutes and Juliet had been breathing down his neck about paperwork at every available opportunity. Hearing his phone start to ring, Harry blew out a frustrated breath before answering it, barking 'yes' into the receiver as he held it to his ear. His mood lightened instantly when he heard the voice on the other end, although he was slightly baffled when she didn't immediately carry on speaking.

"Ruth?"

"Harry, don't get mad at me but I was bored and decided to take the dog for a walk. It uh, oh, it seems, I think I'm in labour Harry" her words were said in a rush but Harry managed to follow every one.

"Where are you?" Paperwork forgotten he was on his feet and signaling through his office window for Adam to join him.

"I don't know! In the park somewhere!" she wailed "I can't find the dog either." She sounded like she was only just managing to hold back the tears and Harry's heart broke to think of her alone and in pain. He tried to reassure her as best he could whilst telling Adam to get Malcolm to trace Ruth's mobile.

"Don't worry sweetheart I'll find you. I promise. Keep taking deep breaths. I'm on my way now."

Harry was extremely thankful that Malcolm had been able to trace Ruth's whereabouts so quickly. He was still on the phone to Ruth as Adam drove them across London as fast as he could. They reached the park and Harry was out of the car before it had even come to a complete stop. He scanned the area in front of him and spotted a familiar figure huddled on a bench to his left. He was breathing almost as hard as Ruth was by the time he reached her; he could feel the relief flooding him as he knelt in front of her and said her name.

"Harry" she tried to smile but it came out as more of a grimace as she was hit by another contraction.

"Hospital" he stated definitively and stood to help her off the bench. They slowly made their way over to the car and found Adam waiting for them, complete with missing dog. Between them they managed to get Ruth settled in the front seat and in no time they were racing to the nearest hospital. Harry was seated behind Ruth, whispering soothingly in her ear about how well she was doing and how proud he was of her.

Although she was considerably calmer now that Harry had arrived and they were heading to the hospital, she was terrified at the prospect of her impending labour. The pain was like nothing she had ever felt before and this was just the beginning!

"I've changed my mind Harry" her words choked out between panting breaths.

"About what?"

"The baby. It'll have to stay where it is. I can't do this." Harry suppressed a chuckle as he reached his arm around the seat and grasped her hand.

"I think it's a bit late for that my love." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before continuing "You can do this, I know you can. If you can put up with me on a daily basis this should pose you no problem." He was glad to hear her slight laugh, pleased that he was helping to calm her nerves.

Their arrival at the hospital caused some commotion as Adam abandoned the vehicle in front of the main doors and ran in to get help. Before he knew what was happening, a team of people had ushered Ruth into a wheel chair and were carting her off to the maternity ward. Harry took a second to absorb the fact that his child was about to be born before running to catch up to his wife.

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Harry realised that he was probably grinning like a fool but at this moment in time he just didn't care. He was watching Ruth as she cradled their new born child protectively in her arms. He didn't think that she had ever looked more beautiful than at this moment, although he doubted that she would believe him should he choose to express that thought. She was exhausted yet radiant, the last few hours had been hard work but the ultimate reward was nestled carefully in her arms. Harry leant over and kissed Ruth lightly on the lips. As he pulled away he gestured towards the baby.

"May I?"

Nodding, she smiled and transferred her son into the strong arms of his father, watching the emotions as they played across Harry's features. She wasn't surprised when his voice cracked as he spoke "Welcome to the world Charlie, I'm your Dad."


End file.
